Industrial vehicle with offset transverse driver&#39;s seat



H. A. WAGNER A ril 20, 1954 INDUSTRIAL VEHICLE WITH OFFSET TRANSVERSEDRIVER'S SEAT Filed Dec. 20, 1951 JUB INVENTOR. .H4ROLD A. MGNEIZPatented Apr. 20, 1954 UNITED STATES ATENT OFFICE INDUSTRIAL VEHICLEWITH OFFSET TRANSVERSE DRIVERS SEAT 7 Claims.

My present invention relates to industrial vehicles and comprises animprovement whereby safety and maneuverability are increased byproviding better visibility for the operator. The invention is ofparticular utility in a vehicle comprising a material elevating towersuch as disclosed and claimed in the patent to Wagner et al., No.2,450,102, issued September 28, 1948, or any vehicle provided withsimilar work handling means.

The principal object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle inwhich the operator a clear, unobstructed view ahead of the vehicle. ihisobject of the invention is achieved by -placing the cab in an offsetrelation to the chassis of the vehicle, and in having the operator ofthe vehicle seated therein so as to face transversely across thevehicle. The vehicle is provided with the usual controls, such as amanual steering wheel and means for controlling the movement of theautomotive vehicle and the operation of the material elevating tower,all of which are arranged in conventional relation to a drivers seatarranged in the cab, withthe back of the drivers seat located outwardlyof the chassis. This object of the invention is also achieved in part byproviding the drivers cab with front and rear windows, the outer edgesof which substantially coincide with the outer wall of the cab. Thusapplicant has provided a vehicle wherein the operator is protected frominclement weather and the danger of objects falling from the materialhandling tower, and in which the driver may observe to the front and tothe rear merely by glancing sideways.

This application is a continuatiomin-part of my previous applicationSerial No. 33,644, filed July 14, 1948, now abandoned. Reference is herein made to the patent to Eddie B. Wagner, No. 2,503,181, issued April 4,1950, resulting from an application also filed on July 14, 1948, whereinoperative details of a vehicle including my pres" ent invention are setforth.

The objects and advantages of the present invention will be more fullyapparent from inspection of the accompanying drawings wherein:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a lift vehicle;

Fig. 2 is a front elevation thereof; and

3 is a partially schematic, vertical section taken substantially alongline 3-3 of Fig. 2, omitting all mechanism from the interior of thechassis. V

The invention is herein illustrated in association with a vehiclecomprising a chassis ill mounted upon spaced pairs of front driving 2wheels H and a rear tiller wheel l2. A track tower is is mounted at thefront of the vehicle, the tower comprising a frame including spacedupright tracks, the outer edges of the frame extending vertically abovethe front corners of the chassis, and a carriage it is moved along thetrack tower by means of a cable [5 passing about a pulley it; at the topof the tower and winch means (not shown) in the chassis under control ofthe operator. A material handling device exv emplified herein by forktines H is mounted upon the carriage i l. Gloviously various otherworking instrumentalities such as buckets, scoops, hay forks, scraperblades, platforms and the like, may be mounted upon the carriage.

The present invention comprises so locating the drivers cab as to havethe cab 29 offset laterally respect to the longitudinal centerline ofthe chassis if), and providing a'drivers seat 2% therein beyond the sideof the chassis and facing transversely across the chassis. Preferablythe rear wall 22 of the cab forms a backing for back of the seat. Thewall 22 lies in vertical alignment with the outer wall of one of a pairof lateral extensions 23 of the chassis, the forward ends of which formfront fenders and the tops of which form ramps leading to the top of thechassis and into the cab. The steering wheel is is so located in the cabas to be in front of the drivers seat, preferably being mounted upon asteering wheel post 25 extending diagonally downward across the vehicle.Suitable controls such as a gear shift lever 26, throttle 2?, clutchpedal 28, hand brake 29, and carriage or other control levers til, aremounted in the cab convenient to the operators reach. The cab ispreferably provided with a front window (it of large size and acorrespondingly large window 32 in an access door 33 which faces therear of the vehicle. The cab is also preferably provided with a largewindow 35 facing across the vehicle and a window it above the rear wall22. It will be noted that the outer edges of both windows 3! and 33 areoutwardly from the back of the seat so that the operator can View thedirection in which the vehicle will turn when he turns the hand wheel.If he wishes to have the vehicle swing toward the left when movin in aforward direction, he turns the wheel toward the left just as in normaldriving. Similarly, if he is moving toward the rear and wishes to havethe vehicle swing toward the right, he turns the wheel to the right justas in normal driving.

It is to be noted that the dual wheels 5 i create an illusion of greaterwidth of the chassis than is actually the case. The sides of the chassislie inside of the inner front wheels and the extensions 23 projectlaterally from the sides of the chassis. The lateral extensions 23 arehollow structures built onto the sides of the chassis, the interiorsthereof providing spaces for tools, et cetera, the forward ends thereofproviding fenders for the front wheels, and the upper sur faces thereofbeing inclined and providing ramps up which the operator may climb, oneof the ramps leading directly to the rear door 33. The extension on theside at which the cab is located provides the base for the seat 2!, sothat the seat is wholly offset from the chasis it.

Having illustrated and described a preferred embodiment of theinvention, it should be apparent to those skilled in the art that theinvention permits of modification in details and arrangement. I claim asmy invention all such modifications as come within the true spirit andscope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A self-propelled industrial vehicle comprising a chassis, a materialhandling device mounted at the front of the chassis and including anupright frame of substantially the same width as the chassis, thelateral edges of said frame being substantially in vertical alignmentwith the front corners of said chassis, a drivers cab locatedintermediate the ends of the chassis and facing transversely across thevehicle, said cab being offset to one side of the chassis and extendingoutwardly beyond the side of the chassis, and a drivers seat mountedentirely within the outwardly extending portion of said cab beyond sideof the chassis and facing transversely across the vehicle.

2. A self-propelled industrial vehicle comprising a chassis, a materialhandling device mounted at the front of the chassis and including anupright frame located between the sides of the chassis, a drivers cablocated intermediate the ends of the chassis, said cab being offsetlaterally from the longitudinal centerline of the chassis and includinga portion extending beyond the side of the chassis, said cab having afront window extending outwardly beyond the side of the chassis to theouter edge of said cab, and a drivers seat mounted entirely within saidportion of the cab and facing transversely across the vehicle, said seatbeing outwardly from the side of the chassis and including a back lyingclosely adjacent the outer wall of said cab.

3. A self-propelled industrial Vehicle comprising a chassis, a tracktower mounted at the front of the chassis and including upright trackslocated each at a front corner of the chassis, a drivers cab locatedintermediate the ends of the chassis, said cab being oifset laterallyand overhanging a side of the chassis, said cab including a window inthe forward wall thereof, said window having its outer edge beyond theside of the chassis and adjacent the outer wall of the cab, and adrivers seat mounted entirely within the portion of the cab overhangingthe side of the chassis and facing transversely across the vehicle,

said seat having a back substantially contiguous to the outer wall ofthe cab whereby a driver seated in the cab may look past said towerwithout shifting from an upright, seated position.

4. A self-propelled industrial vehicle comprising a chassis, a materialhandling device mounted at one end of said chassis and comprising anupright frame having its lateral edges extending above the front cornersof said chassis, a drivers cab positioned to the rear of said device andoffset laterally so as to extend beyond one side of said chassis, adrivers seat positioned in said cab entirely outwardly from said oneside of the chassis and against the outer wall of the cab, said seathaving an upright back closely adjacent the outer wall of said cab, andvehicle and material handling device control means adjacent said seatincluding a steering hand wheel in front of said seat in conventionalrelation thereto whereby the driver may glance over either shoulder inorder to control the movement of the vehicle, said cab including a frontwindow and a rear window, each of said windows extending to the outerwall of said cab.

5. A self-propelled industrial vehicle comprising a chassis, a materialhandling device mounted at one end of said chassis and comprising anupright frame having its lateral edges projecting above the frontcorners of said chassis, a drivers cab positioned to the rear of saiddevice and including a portion offset laterally beyond one side of saidchassis, a drivers seat backed against the outer wall of said cab andpositioned entirely beyond the side of the chassis, and vehicle andmaterial handling device control means adjacent said seat including asteering hand wheel in front of said seat in conventional relationthereto whereby the driver may look over either shoulder in order tocontrol the movement of the vehicle, said cab including a front windowand a rear window, the outer edges of each of said windows beinglongitudinally aligned with the back of the drivers seat.

6. A self-propelled industrial vehicle comprising a chassis, a materialhandling device mounted at one end of said chassis and comprising anupright frame having its lateral edges projecting above the frontcorners of said chassis, a drivers cab positioned to the rear of saiddevice and of:- set beyond one side of said chassis, a drivers seatpositioned in said cab entirely outwardly of said chassis and with theback of the seat against the outer wall of said cab, vehicle andmaterial handling device control means adjacent said seat, in cluding asteering hand wheel in front of said seat in conventional relationthereto whereby the driver may look over either shoulder in order tocontrol the movement of the vehicle, said cab including a front windowand a rear window, the outer edges of each of said windows beingsubstantially longitudinally aligned with the outer surface of said backof the drivers seat, and an extension of said chassis on said one sideof the chassis, said extension providing the base for said seat.

7. A self-propelled industrial vehicle comprising a chassis, a materialhandling device mounted at one end of said chassis and comprising anupright frame having its lateral edges projecting above the frontcorners of said chassis, a drivers cab positioned to the rear of saiddevice and on"- set beyond one side of said chassis, a drivers seatpositioned in said cab entirely outwardly of said one side of thechassis and with the back of the seat against the outer wall of saidcab, vehicle and material handling device control means adjacent saidseat, including a steering hand wheel in front of said seat inconventional relation thereto whereby the driver may look overeithershoulder in order to control the movement of the vehicle, said cabincluding a front window and a rear window, the outer edges of each ofsaid windows being substantiafly longitudinally aligned with the outersurface of said back of the driver's seat, and an extension of saidchassis 10 on said one side of the chassis, said extension providing thebase for said seat, said extension having an inclined upper surfacebeyond said cab providing a ramp leading to said cab, and

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS NumberName Date D. 157,452 Wagner Feb. 21, 1950 1,169,153 Hibacsko Jan. 25,1916 2,143,983 Howell Jan. 1'7, 1939 2,320,601 Howell June 1, 19432,503,180 Wagner Apr. 4, 1950 2,503,181 Wagner Apr. 4, 1950

